Some of the Behavioral
Consulting Services offered by KAREN HURWITZ & ASSOCIATES:

• Assist Individual Attorneys or Staff with Problem Solving
• Lead Focus Groups
• Mediate Disputes between Attorneys and/or Staff
• Develop and Administer Firm Wide Survey of Attitudes (Oral or Written)
• Prepare Report Summarizing Data Collected in Firm Survey of Attitudes
• Administer Upward Reviews
• Prepare Report Summarizing Data Collected in Upward Reviews
• Coach Individual Attorneys or Staff where Necessary or Desired
• Facilitate Brainstorming Sessions with Practice Groups or Managing Partners
• Assist in Revising Firm Policies, Procedures, and Philosophies
• Assist in Strategic Planning
• Assist in Resolving Issues Related to High Attrition Rates, Balanced Lives, Diversity, and Partnership Requirements
• Organize and Lead Firm Retreats
• Present Educational Seminars on Stress, Time Management, Law-Firm Dysfunction and other Topics

“As an experienced lawyer and psychotherapist I understand very well the unique challenges for law firms as they try to balance the demands of an extremely stressful profession with the desire of all those who work therein to have a healthy mind, body, and soul. It is not only O.K. to talk about these things, it is imperative to talk about them to maintain and strengthen the firm.”

Karen Hurwitz, J.D., L.C.S.W.

KAREN HURWITZ & ASSOCIATES Behavioral Consulting is designed to help law firms and corporate legal departments promote and improve organizational health and productivity. Our services involve using a pair of clinically trained and experienced outside eyes to help firms identify internal conflicts and find ways to resolve those conflicts, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the firm.

All firms have conflicts. Conflicts are not bad in and of themselves. They become a problem and begin to undermine a firm when there is an inability or unwillingness to resolve them. Law firm conflicts can arise, for example, between an associate and his supervising partner, or between partners. In addition, conflicts can involve firm-wide concerns about long-standing issues, such as diversity, attrition rates, and billable hour or partnership requirements. All firms struggle with personality conflicts, fee disputes, management divisions, and varying visions for the future. The costs associated with unresolved conflicts are real and significant and should not be ignored. Furthermore, the resolution of such issues need not be so difficult.

Long-standing firm issues such as high attrition rates and debates over partnership requirements produce stalemates that not only eat away at the good will of a firm but also result in decreased productivity and profits. In this day of competition and economic slowdown, it is so important to guard against any such erosion. It is not just about maintaining a baseline; it is about growing stronger. Resolution of such issues is not about being a great lawyer. In fact, it is often about being willing to set legal skills aside and to consider thinking about issues through a different, non-legalistic lens.
Behavioral Consulting is not therapy; it is, however, performed by a trained and experienced therapist. Behavioral consulting provides a process and a forum to help resolve internal issues. When firms have a process to gather information from all attorneys in the firm, problems can more readily be identified and resolved in a collaborative manner.

Some of the approaches used to gather information and resolve issues include individual interviews, facilitated group discussions with management, focus groups with specific segments of the firm, firm wide survey of attitudes, upward reviews, mediation, coaching of individual attorneys, and brainstorming and redevelopment of new programs and policies. We also present educational and motivational speeches to firms to improve attitudes and to help lawyers learn to view law firm challenges in a different way.

Management may be amazed at how the willingness to hear and collaborate on internal issues can make all the difference in the world in terms of attitudes, desire to work, and productivity levels. Let KAREN HURWITZ & ASSOCIATES help your office become a healthier and more productive place to work.